For the Best

$400 a month is an incredible deal. Can I send my high schoolers on a mission early?

Missing an Older Sibling

Clearly today's strip was drawn a long time ago. Stereos don't have the cachet they used to have. When my older brother left for his mission, he gave detailed instructions that no one was to touch his stereo. After a year of service, though, his heart was softened and he gave me permission to carefully take it out of storage and use it. It was a good thing, too, since I had already been listening to it for six months by then.

On the Homefront

Plan for the Future

I'm sure Elder Van Dyke would appreciate his mom's care.

For the first time in over 13 years running this blog, I missed a deadline. Mission Daze comic strips are supposed to be posted on Mondays, today is a Tuesday. To my tens of readers, I apologize.

Mission Update

Sounds Like Home

A stereo system was a huge status symbol back in my day. It sure doesn't seem to be something teenagers today care about now days. With the growth of earbuds, listening to music has become much more of a private activity than it was 25 years ago.

Meanwhile, Back Home

When I left for my mission, I was sure my family was going to spend two years acting like Elder Van Dyke's mother. Imagine my surprise, then, when the first letters I received from my family were addressed from Lake Tahoe. Apparently, my parents had planned in secret a big vacation immediately after I entered the MTC.

Family MTC Visit

As tempting as it may be, please don't be this missionary mom!

The Mission Report

Here's another strip that's painfully out-of-date. When I was growing up my ward would regularly invite mothers of the missionaries to take a couple of minutes in sacrament meeting to report on their missionaries. At some point, this practice has fallen out of favor--at least in the wards I've attended for the past dozen years. I was always surprised, given the age and maturity of many of our missionaries, that we didn't hear more reports like this.

It's for the Best

Here's another peek into Elder Van Dyke's family.

(And here's a peek into another strip this week courtesy of deseretnews.com.)

More Sisterly Love

(This week's deseretnews.com strip.)

Sisterly Love

Let's check in on Elder Van Dyke's family again.

(And check out another strip here.)

Frozen Burritos

It's time for another peek into Elder Van Dyke's family.

Letter Home

Let's check in on Elder Van Dyke's family this week.

Back Home

Let's check in on Elder Van Dyke's family today.

Meanwhile, Back Home

After all the counsel to parents given during this past weekend's General Conference, it seemed only appropriate that today's strip should focus on Elder Van Dyke's parents back home.

And speaking of Conference, I'll be posting another General Conference recap in the next couple of days.